Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-18

OhN In 0s Il 'EbhO T.
ANCIENT TREASURE HUNTERS.
The mysteries OF Ell InfIerno Exc
plored by a spanish Priest.
Strange rumors reached Fray Bias del
Castillo, pious ecclesiastic busted with
his work in Central America in 1884,
soon after the Spaniards had begun to
strip the country of Its dazzling stores of
gold and silver, of wonderful vulcano
near Lake Nicaragua, known as El In.
fierno de Masaya. A hundred fathoms
down in its crater was . molten lake in.
crusted with cinders, through which
fountains of fire sometimes flashed up.
ward far above the top of the mounisio,
q weird beacon for mariners for thirty
leagues out on the Pacific. The molten
sea of lava at one time rose to the top Of
the volcano, destroying with its .urid
heat all vegetation for miles
around, and then slowly sank again
deep down iuto its restless bed, W here
dwelt the spirits of the mountain. II
must have been the devil, the Spaniards
said. who sometimes rose from the sui
phurous smoke in the form of an old
haq, nude, wrinklsd and hideous, with
long. cleaning. sharp teeth, and eyes
flashing ires from their deep sockets,
and held secret communion at times with
native chiefs who visited her shrine.
She was consulted ON all important mat.
ters, determined questions of war and
pesce, and could infallibly predict
whether success or fa lure would be the
issue of any enterprise. She was con.
jured up to an audience with her vota.
ries by hurting uncomplaining human
victims down into her burning lair, and
the same sacrifice appeased her after che
had delivered her oracles. The genius
of this burning pit denounced the in
trudiDg Christians when they first came,
and threatened never to appear again
unless they were expelled from the
country; this the natives were not
powerful enough to do and she disap.
peared.
The worthy friar concluded that the
molten macs, So carefully guarded by
the evil one, must be gold, or at least
silver, in . state OF fusion; and he &C.
cordingly confided his secret to Fran
ciscan friar, Juan de Gandabo, and they
agreed to take few of the wealthier
Spanish settlers into their confidence, so
a. to obtain means to enable them to
secure the precious metal. But their
secret coon leaked out, and rumor car.
ried the news throughout the province.
Men assembled in the streets and plazas
of Granada and of Leon to discuss the
matter. Some conceded that Frey Bias
was probably right; Others asserted with
q shrug of the shoulders that the molten
mass consisted Of iron and sulphur.
But the friar, while expoundng in the
realms of the Atahualpas and the Mon.
tezumas the doctrines of Him who sent
forth His Disciples without purse or
scrip, could never Danish from his mind
1.-The conviction that Providence had re.
served this treasure for him and his
fellow.laborers, and he finally decided to
make personal attempt to secure it.
Accordingly the necessary implements
were secretly prepared; 10 native vii
lage some four leagues distant from the
volcano he placed in order chains. pul.
lcys, iron kettles and all other apparatus
necessary for obtaining the molten
wealth. Going into secret place, at q
sufficient distanc CO from the Spanish set.
Element to be safe from lrying eyes, he
built with his own hand} huge derrick
and cage, and then sec3red the aid ol
natives 70 drag the pond(rous structure,
to the mouth Of the volcnne.
Finally Fray Bias had completed all
the mechanical details and then eau.
tiously arranged for the division Of the
treasure, claiming for himself the largest
share, although he contributed nothing
to the expense. In order that there
could be no dispute in regard to the
right of discovery the worthy friar
agreed to descend first; should he sue
coed il returning safe, his comrades
were to follow.
Twice the friar and his companions
approached the burning crater, but his
followers became terrified at the sight of
the burning lake, and abandoned the
enterprise. A third time the ecclesiastic
and his comrades rose betimes, and
after confessipg their sins, and attending
macs, they took substantial breakfast
| to prepare them for their perilous
work. They climbed the steep eides of
the mountain, and finally stood on the
edge of the mysterious crater. When
eli was ready the priest grasped his
cruciix in his right hand to ward of
the evil spirits that might appear from the
depths, firmly settled an iron helmet on
his head to protect his skull from falling
fragments. and with . flask Of wine in
his right hand, he gathered his robes
about him as he firmly seated himself in
the cage. He swings into midair. under
the influence of the lusty pull of his
followers at the rope. He slowly de-
scends into the burning pit. The ne.
tives who were present, fled in terror,
having no faith in his assertion that the
evil genius of the fiery lake would
vanish at the sight of the cross. At
last, far down, the cage struck bottom,
and the priest stepped out on the floor
of the crater. But just as he left his
seat falling fragment OF rock struck his
helmet and caused him to drop to his
knees and with trembling fingers plant
his cross in the haunted ground. He
then turned to look for his cage, but it
had disappeared. With eyes strained
upward he grouped and stumbled over
shelves of rock, and finally saw it swing.
ing far overhead. In bis desperate strait
his heart di not fail him; he remem.
bered the guide.rope, and with this
dragged his portly PERSON to spot from
which he could pull in the cage and re-
gain his seat. He then gave the ap.
pointed signal and WINS brought un-
harmed to the surface.
A few days later another attempt was
made to secure the treasure. aud. after
much difficulty, quantity of the mol
ten matter was brought to the surface in
an iron mortar. Reports of the great
discovery spread to the neighboring
settlements, and hundreds OF eager
spectators gathered around the crater;
but the adventurers kept their own
counsel, took formal possession OF the